The account is reportedly being operated by one of Erica’s co-workers, who has posted numerous updates about her condition as well as shared messages of support for her family and hope that she would recover. The confirmation of Erica’s death was followed by another message:

When you report this you remember she was human: mother, daughter, sister, aunt. Her heart was bigger than the world. It really really was. She cared when most people wouldn’t have. She was good. She only pursued right, no matter what. No one gave her justice.

“She was a warrior, she was a fighter, and we didn’t pull the plug on her,” Esaw Snipes, Erica’s mother, told the New York Daily News. “She left on her own terms.”

Erica, a mother of two, sought to raise awareness about police brutality following the death of her father, Eric Garner, who was put into a fatal chokehold by a New York City police officer on Staten Island in 2014. The incident was captured in a video that was widely circulated and contributed to the national discussion about police violence toward people of color. Her father’s last words, “I can’t breathe,” have become a rallying cry for the racial justice movement.

News of Erica’s passing provoked a flood of condolences as well as expressions of gratitude for her activism:

Our dear sister Erica Garner has just passed away.

When you were her friend, you her friend through all adversity. She was a fierce protector of her friends and family. A truth teller. As genuine and authentic of a soul you’ll ever encounter.

RIP Erica Garner. We can’t imagine a child making a parent more proud. She walked with a fierce dignity in this world and would not allow the powerful to get by with only words when the problems we face demand action. Our forever respect and love. ✊🏾 https://t.co/Ei8lqdKU7X

This is devastating. Erica Garner @es_snipes put her all into turning the tragedy & injustice of her father’s murder into a movement for justice. She told me in this interview this was how she honored her dad’s memory. Let’s honor hers by carrying it on https://t.co/1Z0SrPnkBxhttps://t.co/lpdJlgddVn

I was introduced to Erica Garner’s work through the Bernie campaign. I watched this video maybe 30 times the day before we published it. Thank you for telling your truth every chance you got, @es_snipes. Your voice will be missed and your life remembered.https://t.co/tB0qgWqCiW

Dear Erica, thank you taking a stand when so may others sat. Thank you for leading the charge when so many others faded into the background.
Your voice inspired many at age 27. We will NEVER let them forget you!#EricaGarner#SayHerName

About ew

ew came of age during the winddown to the Vietnam War, and like many other Americans, as soon there wasn't an issue that didn't affect him personally, he became indifferent. This gradually changed during the Reagan and Bush I years, continued through the Clinton years and finally came to a head with the passage of the Patriot Act in 2001. He works as a freelance consultant/tester for various music hardware and software companies, and lives in Minnesota with his cat and other weird and wonderful noise machines.